Elevator safety appliance



Jan. 18 1927.

T. LA R. JONES ELEVATOR SAFETY APPLIANCE Original led Oct, 3. 1923 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS LA RUE JONES, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ELEVATOR SAFETY APPLIANCE.

Application filed October 3, 1923, Serial No. 666,258. Renewed April 15, 1926.

This invention relatesto safety appliances for elevators and particularly to means for the saving of life in the event of the fall of a person down the shaft of a passenger or freight elevator.

Among the objects of the invention is to so equip an elevator shaft, at any desired point or place of elevation along the shaft, as to provide a means for catching a person or other heavy weight that may for any cause be precipitated downward therein and so prevent the death or serious injury to the person, or in the case of other heavy body preventing serious damage to any part of the equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically cutting off the power throughwhich the elevator car is ordinarily operated and to cause the manifestation of some suitable signal, at the time of and as a result of the circumstance before mentioned, so that the operation of the car will be temporarily terminated until the cause of the disturbance has been removed, and whereby the superintendent or other person in the building will be prompt ly apprised of the fact t at something is wrong and demands his attention.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invent-ion consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of an elevator shaft equipped with my improved safety appliance, the car being in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal detail on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the main switch mechanism as seen from the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is tern.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings 10 indicates the structure of the elevator shaft leading upward through any desired number of floors 11 from the pit or well 12. The car C may be of any suitable a diagram of the electrical sysor conventional construction and operating along the shaft 10 by any suitable means including preferably overhead cable connections 13. The power may be provided by an electric motor M in communication with a generator or dynamo 14, the main circuit for the power being indicated at 15 and in this circuit is located a normally closed switch comprising a blade 16 pivoted at 17. The point of this blade co-operates with a fixed blade or contact 18.

19 indicates an auxiliary circuit remote from the motor, but connected with the main motor circuit on opposite sides of the generator. open switch 20 comprising a spring contact, and also included in this auxiliary circuit is any suitable type or arrangement of signal mechanism and located in the superintendents ofiice or in as many places as may be required. This signal means is illustrated as an audible alarm 21.

At any convenient point in the elevator shaft or well bottom below the top rigging and preferably at the bottom of the shaft and below the normal lower range of movement of the car is a cushioning device made preferably substantially as follows: A platform 22 is spaced upward from the bottom 23 and is normally held elevated by a plurality of coil springs 24, while the extentof upward movement of the platform or normal position thereof is determined by flexible connect-ions such as straps 25 having their ends attached respectively to the bottom fioor 23 and the platform. These springs 24 have sufiicient strength to prevent the weight of a person or the like falling down the elevator shaft from bringing the platform 22 into direct impact with the well 3 bottom. The immediate impact of the person is received by or upon a cushion 26 in the nature of a mattress of any suitable nature such as may be provided by upholstery or pneumatic inflation and lying upon the top of the platform 22 and having an area commensurate with the transverse section of the shaft.

27 indicates a rectangular frame or hanger surrounding the elevator shaft at or just below the first floor and suitably held rigidly in such position. This frame is designed to support the switch mechanism above referred to and other allied parts of the construction, and suspended beneath the frame This circuit 19 includes a normally 27 is a guard 28 includingpreferably a net work surrounding the cushion Q6 and .sub stantially filling" the space vertically between the cushion and the frame whereby the body of the person or other object falling into the shaft will be prevented from bouncing laterally from the cushion and become harmed or injured as a result of impact against the elem tor framework. The guard 28 is shown flexibly suspended. beneath the frame 2-7 by means including a series of coil springs 29 or their equivalent which are strong enough to normally hold the net clevated and yet are designed so that a weight falling into the cushion will lower the net somewhat with respect to the trains though not sutiiciently to leave a wide gap between them.

The main circuit movable switch is held normally closed by means or" a soring 3O anchored as at 81 below the frame, a attached to and leading upward from t blade 16 is a flexible connection 3:2, whic atter passing over a guide pulley '33 at t top of the frame is led downward within the frame and is secured to the platform 22. A spring 3% is preferably interposed in this connection.

The normally open switch spring 20 has attached to it another tlexih. connection which is passed directly laterally through a hole 36 in the frame 27 and thence downward over a guide pulley 37 nd it likewise is secured to the platform :2. inis connection also is preferably provided with a coil spring 38. The two switch connections are arranged preferably on ones Ln ite sides of the platform though n'nght le 0 herwise arranged.

lVith th mechanism construc ed and arranired subslantially as above indicated it will be apparent that the weight any person or object ailing down the shat't through an open door or otherwise ill be received upon the cushion 26. the TGSEUGFCQ of which and the springs 2i will breal: the fall and prevent serious injury. Sucl weight, however. bearing downward upon the platform 22 will draw downward upon the ends of the connections 32 and secured thereto, thereby causing simultaneously the upward movement and opening of the switch 16 against the force of the spring 30 and the lateral closing movement of the spring 20. Thus the main power circuit through the motor M will be broken. and the auxiliary circuit will be closed through the signal mechanism. The conductor of the car will thus be prevented from continuing the operation thereoit' until the cause of the trouble has been removed and the parts restored to normal position. The springs 34 and 3S insure that the downward strain upon the connection to which they are attached will not break nor otherwise damage any of these parts. The movement of the spring 20 will of course be limited by the fixed contact with which it co-operates, and the movement of the pivoted blade is preferably limited by a stud 39. If desired a toothed rack or catch -l0 may be provided to automatically catch and hold the blade 16 in open position so that it will require manual resetting after the weight is removed from the cushion.

I claim:

1. In a safety appliance of the nature set forth, the con'ibination of a well bottom cushion, a flexible guard above said cushion and surrounding the same, and resilient means for supportingsaid guard and said cushion.

2. In a safety appliance of the nature set forth, the combination of a well bottom cushion, flexible guard above and surrounding said cushion, resilient means for supporting said cushion and said guard and to permit the downward movement of the same together, and power control mechanism com 'irisin a member co-operating with the cushion and the guard to render the power control mechanism operative thereby upon downward movement thereof as aforesaid.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

THOMAS LA RUE JONES. 

